(NaturalNews) Research proving the importance of gut bacteria for the immune system and mental and emotional health has gone viral lately. It started as a ripple slightly over a decade ago, and now it's becoming a tsunami of evidence.

The ancient concept established in Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that all health or disease begins in the gut has piqued enough interest to cause some mainstream medical researchers to seriously look into intestinal flora's true health effects beyond digestion.

So far, the research has confirmed gut health precepts held by ancient traditional health systems, which the medical monopoly has ignored by pushing antibiotics that destroy all microbes, both bad and beneficial.

Let's add the food industry's callous disregard for intestinal flora health by pushing GMOs and processed foods with deceptive labeling. They also have profound adverse effects on the intestinal flora balance required for immunity, mental health, and DNA integrity (http://www.naturalnews.com/031825_GMOs_threat.html).

Your friendly bacteria are among your best and most important friends for many reasons. This article covers the gut-brain connection.

A Recent University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) human study

This study, published recently in the June 2013 journal Gastroenterology, was at least partially inspired by earlier animal testing on mice that demonstrated less physiological stress indicators when fed probiotics. Another factor for this study was offered by UCLA associate professor of medicine Dr. Kirsten Tillisch who said, "Time and time again, we hear from patients that they never felt depressed or anxious until they started experiencing problems with their gut. Our study shows that the gut-brain connection is a two-way street."

A group of 36 women aged 18 through 35 were divided into three groups. One group ate a what they termed a "fermented milk product with probiotic" (FMPP) or yogurt that actually contained four major probiotic bacteria twice daily for a month.

The second or control group was fed the same amounts of yogurt devoid of probiotics over the same period, while the third group ate neither. All three groups were put through the same emotional task testing and received MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) of their brains before, during, and after the study.

According to Dr. Tillisch, "The researchers were surprised to find that the brain effects could be seen in many areas, including those involved in sensory processing and not merely those associated with emotion."

Note: Three members of Danone Research, a fermented food product development group, were involved with setting up the study but were not permitted to interpret the results.

Dr. McBride reveals her revolutionary dietary approach to restore proper intestinal flora balance in her book Gut and Psychology Syndrome or GAPS (http://www.gaps.me/).

What's important is that we take in as much probiotic and prebiotic material as possible. Powerful probiotic supplements are pricey, but may be necessary temporarily after being subjected to antibiotics and other harsh medical interventions.

Avoiding processed foods, refined sugar and HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is a foundation for inhibiting further probiotic destruction or intestinal flora imbalances. Fermented Asian foods, such as miso, natto, or nattokinase supplements and kefirs can be used for maintenance.